St. Paul girl, 9, injured in Dayton's Bluff fire to be released from hospital

Firefighters rescued a 9-year-old girl from a fire in the 300 block of Maple Street in St. Paul on Monday, Feb. 17, 2014. She's expected to be OK, the fire department said. (Pioneer Press: Mara Gottfried)

The 9-year-old girl critically injured in a St. Paul fire last week should be out of the hospital soon.

Nevaeh Sellers suffered from smoke inhalation and was burned, said Mark Peterson, who has been in a long-term relationship with the girl's grandmother and considers Nevaeh his granddaughter. The girl has been in Regions Hospital and is to be released Tuesday, Peterson said Monday.

On Feb. 17, firefighters carried Nevaeh out of the Dayton's Bluff home where she lived with her grandmother and Peterson. She'd been sleeping in the basement and was unconscious when firefighters rescued her from the room that was filled with heavy smoke, according to the fire department, which continues to investigate the fire's cause.

Nevaeh Sellers (Photo courtesy of family)

The fire department has said the basement of the rental home in the 300 block of Maple Street was illegally being used as a bedroom. Peterson has said Nevaeh had her own room in the house -- not in the basement.

"She ran downstairs for some reason and that's where she got caught up at," Peterson said.

Peterson said Monday that Nevaeh is "doing real good," but her voice is a little raspy and she speaks quietly -- he said it was probably a combination of the smoke she inhaled and tubes used in her airway in the hospital.

Nevaeh's burns were somewhat superficial, Peterson said.

"Enough to give you pain, but I don't think they'll scar," he said. "Doctors all say the same thing, but only time will tell.

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She's made a lot of recovery over the last seven days. ... I just want to bring my granddaughter back and spend time with her."

Peterson and his family are staying at a hotel, and are trying to find a new house.

"We're looking for financial support -- we lost everything," he said. "We appreciate everyone's concerns and thoughts."

Nevaeh is a third-grader at the St. Paul Music Academy. The school is coordinating efforts to collect donations. People can contact the school at 651-744-2231.